


Conditional Fear

by QueerCannibal



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Anal Sex, Budding Love, Domestic Fluff, Drunk Sex, Dysfunctional Relationships, Eventual Smut, First Time, First Time Bottoming, Fluff and Angst, Interspecies Relationship(s), M/M, Night Terrors, Nightmares, Non-Sexual Slavery, Oral Sex, Rough Sex, Sex Toys, Slavery, Virgin!Jack, alpha Bunnymund, beastiality, issues of morality, kind of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-06
Updated: 2015-04-10
Packaged: 2018-03-21 14:24:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3695681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueerCannibal/pseuds/QueerCannibal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pitch Black has been defeated, the children are safe, the Guardian's powers and existence insured; all is well. Or is it?<br/>When three Spirits visit North at his work shop they present the Guardian of Wonder with a potentially horrific problem. What would happen to the world, to the precious children, without fear?</p>
<p>North must struggle with his own morals, and convince the rest of the Guardians to investigate Pitch's lair. Something is wrong, and only The Nightmare King has the answers. </p>
<p>What happens when the Guardians are forced to realize, things aren't just Black and White? That the world rests in the gray area?</p>
<p>North must face his greatest enemy, in conditions that he had never thought possible, and decide between mercy, and punishment.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 1 Day After Easter

April 9th, 2012, One Day after Easter

The day after Easter was one of chaotic celebration and thanks for the Guardian’s. They all returned briefly to North’s work shop, where they drank (perhaps more than they should have) and congratulated themselves on their seemingly amazing luck. Pitch was gone! Defeated! The children were safe, and there was now no more threat to their existence. 

Of course, they all knew that someday Pitch would return; he always did. He was like a cockroach you couldn’t flush; he just kept scuttling around along the bowl. But that didn’t matter, they’d be ready for whenever he reared his vindictive and revenge filled head. 

All sitting together in the warmth and comfort of North’s office, the group grew quiet; their fatigue catching up with them. Sandy dozed in the corner, hovering a few inches off of the ground. Bunny was seated comfortably before the fire, his fur fluffy and filled with warmth. Toothiana and several of her fairies were hovering near the window, occasionally babbling off to one another in hushed but hurried tones. North was contentedly seated in his chair, gaze distant, half empty mug forgotten on his desk. Jack was sitting on the edge of the desk, nibbling on a cookie.

“So what happens now?” The frost elf inquired, breaking the silence. He turned to look over his shoulder at North, who swiveled in his chair lazily to look at him. “I mean, now that Pitch is gone? What do we do?”

“We go back to or normal lives.” Bunny voiced sleepily from the fire, stretching and yawning loudly. “Recoup and then start preparing for next year, where me and North are concerned.” 

“Bunny is right,” North agreed. “Tooth will return to tooth palace, where she and her fairies will continue bringing joy to children, Sandy will no doubt instill hope and belief in all of us through dreams,” At that the Sandman dropped to the floor, still asleep. Jack chuckled, but the faint smile faded from his face, and a look of melancholy washed over him. This did not go unnoticed by North. “What is wrong?”

“It’s just…” Jack didn’t look up, his eyes following each individual grain in the desk; he could feel all of the attention in the room focused on him (save for Sandy, who was still sleeping contentedly on the floor). “What do I return to?” He asked. “I know who I am now, but,” He gave a shrug. “Do I just go back to going wherever the wind takes me? In a few months, the snow days will be over for most of the states, I mean,”

“You can do whatever you wish,” North said. “Follow the wind, bring your snow days and your fun with you,” His eyes twinkled when Jack looked up. “But you will always have a place to return to,”

“North’s right mate,” Bunny agreed, moving away from the fire. “You’re always welcome at the Warren,” Bunny’s nose twitched slightly and his ears flattened a little. “For as long as you want.”

“And here,” North said. “you will always have a place to call your own here.”

Jack felt his heart skip a few beats as he looked between North and Bunny. He glanced down when Baby Tooth landed on his shoulder and cheeped happily into his ear.  
“They’re right Jack,” Tooth said, flying to hover beside him. “You’re one of us now. You’ll always have a place to stay.” She said with a sweet smile. Jack’s brows furrowed and his nose started to tingle. He looked away, blinking rapidly against the tears that were trying to escape. He let out a faint stuttering breath when Tooth wrapped herself around him in a warm hug, quickly followed by Bunny, whose fur was still very warm from the fire. 

“Ah, we are just like one big happy family!” North said loudly wrapped them all up in his massive arms and hugging them tightly. Jack smiled, a tear escaping and sliding down his cheek. He had a family.

⁞⁞⁞⁞  
As the sun began to set over the North Pole, the group began to disperse. Sandy bid them all a hasty farewell, before he was off, to follow the sunset, where his home was, and where he would spread his dream sand to all of the people of the world; though the children were certainly his main focus. Tooth gave them all at least half a dozen hugs, and assured Jack that no matter how busy she was, he was always welcome to drop in for a visit; an invitation her fairies seemed eager for him to accept. Bunny reminded Jack that he was welcome whenever he liked to the Warren, and asked that the sprite not get into too much trouble if Bunny were sleeping; then he was off, to recoup and rest after their long three day ordeal. 

Once the others were gone, Jack hovered near the door to the office while North began gathering up all of their mugs and plates. The white haired teen wasn’t sure if he should leave, let North spend a day or so recovering from all the excitement; after all, he had a lot of toys to make over the next year. Holding his staff, he bounced in place slightly.

“Uh, well, I guess I’ll just go,” He said, inching nearer to the door. He could return ‘home’ for awhile, peak in on Jamie and the other’s…  
“Go?” North asked, frowning as he turned around to face the younger Guardian.  
“Uh, yeah… I mean, you must be exhausted, and well,”  
“Nonsense!” North said loudly with a chuckle, pushing past Jack and out into the workshop, Jack tottering behind him. “Before you leave you must pick out room!”  
“Room?” Jack paused halfway across the work shop. It was oddly empty and quiet; all of the yetis were off resting before the whole process of toy making began again. North turned to look at him again.  
“Of course, you will need a room in which to return to.” North said with a warm smile. Jack felt his heart leap, and a smile of his own cross his face.  
“Right! Yeah, okay!” He quickly joined North’s side. “A room…. You know, I haven’t had a room for over three hundred years.”


	2. Two Days After Easter

April 10th, 2012, Two Days after Easter

After Jack had picked out his room, he spent quite a bit of time filling it with things. North had told him that he could fill it with whatever he wanted, and Jack fully intended to… but with what? Jack had never had a proper room to himself, even when he was alive; he’d always shared the loft with his sister, that’s just how things were done.  
Jack spent a lot of time coming and going from North’s work shop, even leaving the North Pole several times, each time returning with different things to put in his room. Some things worked, and some didn’t. But Jack was too excited to care what a jumbled state the room was currently in; soon enough it would be perfect! 

As he was heading out the door for perhaps the tenth or eleventh time, the frost elf was startled to find someone on the other side of it. Jumping back over the threshold and clutching his staff tightly, he eyed the three strange figures on the step.  
The one furthest in the front, tilted his head and looked curiously at Jack; apparently this figure hadn’t expected someone to barge out just as much as Jack hadn’t expected someone to be waiting on the step. 

“Hello?” Jack asked uncertainly. He’d seen quite a lot of spirits in his three-hundred-years, but had only talked to a very small handful. And he certainly wasn’t familiar with these three strange characters.

“Good afternoon,” The first young man greeted. “We are here to speak with Nicholas St. North,” The youth peaked around behind Jack, but did not move forward. “Is he in?”  
Jack let his eyes roam over the young man. He was a tall, skeletal thin youth, dressed in a nice black suite lined with very faint seams of white stripes. The sleeves and tail of his jacket were frayed slightly, and the tie that hung down from his bone-white neck reminded Jack eerily of a noose. The youth’s face was rather lovely, but very sharp. There were dark marks around his mouth, nose, and eyes, reminding Jack of a skeleton; though the eyes that burned in the youths head were the most vivid shade of green; they reminded Jack of Bunny. The youth ran slender spiderlike fingers through his messy white-gray-black hair, a lightly smoking jack-o-lantern dangling from his other hand. “May we please see him, this is very important.” He pleaded. 

“Uh, yeah, sure I guess.” Jack figured that this youth was probably one of the half dozen spirits of Halloween, though he’d never met him. Jack hovered, hesitating when the other three didn’t enter the shop. 

“You must invite us in,” The youthful skeletal figure explained. “Otherwise we will be stuck out here on this step.”  
“Oh, right, sorry. Uh, come on in.” Jack invited. 

The skeletal youth stepped over the threshold, holding his jack-o-lantern almost awkwardly in front of him. The other two figures stepped in as well, closing the door behind them. 

“Why don’t you wait in there,” Jack pointed to one of the large open rooms to the right of the door. “I’ll go get North.”  
“Thank you.” The youth said bowing his head slightly before the three entered the offered room. 

Jack quickly dashed off through the workshop, startling a few of the yetis, before zooming past North’s office and locating the man’s bedroom. He banged loudly on the door, perhaps louder than was necessary. 

“North! Hey North! I need to talk to you! It, it might be urgent!” No sooner had Jack called through the wooden door than it was pulled open and the larger man was framed in it.  
“What is urgent?” North was dressed, and though looking drowsy seemed to have been awake for awhile. 

“There’s, there’s some spirits here to talk to you. They’re, a little weird, kind of creepy… uh,” Before Jack could finish North was past him and marching down the hallway. Jack quickly followed. He certainly hoped he hadn’t done anything wrong by letting those three into the work shop. 

But luckily, when North and Jack arrived to the large open room Jack had offered the three, they were still there, standing awkwardly around the fireplace. 

“Ah!” North smiled, and Jack couldn’t help but feel relieved. Apparently the older Guardian recognized their visitors. “Jack-o!” The tall Guardian crossed the room and took the skeletal youth’s free hand, shaking it briskly. “How long it has been, how long, sit, sit,” He offered. 

“Thank you,” The pale youth seemed to practically collapse into the offered chair, his jack-o-lantern dangling over the edge from his fingers. Jack moved behind North’s own chair, shooting a weary look at the two spirits still stationed near the fire. They weren’t as ‘friendly’ looking as Jack-o.  
After a moment, Jack-o straightened in his seat, and waved over his shoulder at the other two.

“North, I am sure you’re aware of my associates, Samhain, and the Lady Lamia.”

Samhain was a tall muscular man dressed in old armor and leather, concealed beneath a dark moth eaten coat; Jack wondered if it had once been red. His face was completely hidden beneath a blank mask, though the eyes that glowed beneath it were bright gold. Lamia was a tall, curvy woman, with long curls of black hair. Her face was cold and sharp, her eyes black as pitch. Jack felt chills run down his spine slightly. He wasn’t sure he liked these associates of Jack-o’s. 

“Yes, of course,” North glanced towards the other two, and something in his tone made Jack wonder if he were as weary of the two as he was. “Why have you come?” He inquired, turning his blue gaze back to Jack-o. 

“Well, actually, it is about… the events that took place Easter evening,” Jack-o shifted awkwardly. 

“What of it?” Jack asked, frowning, before quickly falling silent and sinking a little farther behind North’s chair. 

“Well, it’s a problem.” Jack-o said.

“What is problem?” North inquired frowning. Jack-o scooted to the edge of his seat, pulling his jack-o-lantern onto his lap. Jack peered over the back of North’s chair and frowned.

The jack-o-lantern was the perfect shape, and shade of orange, with a wicked looking mouth and eyes carved into its rind. An eerie green hazy glow came through carving, and raised in small twisting wisps at the top.

“As you know, on Halloween night I wander, watching the children, slipping the special candies I make throughout the year into their baskets, jack-o-lanterns, buckets, pillow cases,” He gave another awkward shift, long pale skeletal fingers tightening against the pumpkin on his knees. “I get my strength and powers from the spooky hysteria and fun that children experience on Halloween. I use the hysteria to make my candies… it’s what keeps me going throughout the year. And well… you know—“

“Enough of this!” Lamia snapped, causing the skeletal youth to jump in his seat; of the three, Jack figured he was probably the youngest; Samhain and Lamia certainly held themselves as much older spirits. The vampiric woman stepped forward. “Whatever you did to the boogeyman is beginning to have an effect on us!” She snapped, baring sharp canine fangs, her black eyes alight with hell fire. 

“Whatever do you mean?” North inquired, his dark brows furrowed, his own eyes glinting with something dangerous. Both Jack’s could feel the tension growing between the two. 

“Look at Jack-o-Lantern!” She spat, gesturing sharply towards the skeletal youth, who shrank a little under North’s gaze. “His powers are already fading!” She snatched the pumpkin from his lap, causing the boy to let out a scream that died half way out of his throat, but did not fail to make the hairs on the back of Jack’s neck stand on end.  
Holding the pumpkin so North could see it she glared, black gaze harsh. “It is barely aglow! Halloween was just seven months ago! It should still be glowing strongly, and he should not get winded just by coming here!” 

“My Lady, please,” Jack-o whispered, leaning over the arm of his chair, reaching out for the pumpkin. “Please,” He whimpered. She spat, tossing the pumpkin roughly back to him, where he sat clinging to it. Jack shot a glare at the dark eyed woman from his spot behind North’s chair; he didn’t like her. “You and your guardians have thrown the world out of balance!”

“We did no such thing—“  
“DON’T YOU GET IT YOU OLD—“  
“Lamia!” Jack-o snapped, glaring at her, green gaze aglow. “Please, your temper, we’re guests in this place.”  
Lamia took a deep inhale, her entire chest cavity expanding before she released it, turning cold black dead eyes back on North.  
“Before any of us existed, me, you, any of us, there was The Nightmare King. He brought fear to a world,”  
“That had once been fearless!”  
“Yes but we can NEVER go back to that!” She shrieked. “Do you not see? The human race has evolved into something that can never be fearless again! Humans are born with only two fears, the rest are taught, and learned. What do you think will happen without fear? What do you think will happen to your precious children,” 

Jack felt his stomach drop like a stone, and an unpleasant tingle rush over his skin. The way Lamia said the word ‘children’, as though she were a starving woman looking upon a choice feast. Jack was positive, he really didn’t like her. 

“Even when at his weakest Pitch has always been the source of fear in the world,” North snapped. “Always! He is always there, never gone, this, whatever is happening to Jack-o cannot possible,”

“But it does,” The skeletal youth looked woefully up at the white haired Cossack. “you see, without The Nightmare King’s fear in the world, I won’t survive for very long. Unlike you Guardian’s, it has been a very VERY long time since anyone has been able to see me. And that’s okay, but… without the fear to sustain me until Halloween, I’ll eventually vanish. Samhain, and Lamia who are much older, and far more powerful, won’t… but… they too will eventually be affected.”

“But I do not understand!” North said standing up and looking down at the boy. “Pitch was defeated yes, but—“  
“Please,” Jack-o stood, holding the jack-o-lantern against his chest. “something has happened to Pitch,”  
“And you guardians are responsible!” Lamia snapped. Jack-o ignored her.  
“You need to find out why the fear is starting to leave the world, before the humans are affected. Horrible things will happen, you can’t let them happen.”  
⁞⁞⁞⁞  
After a lot of arguing, pleading, finger pointing, and even some name calling, North assured the Halloween spirit Jack-o-Lantern, and his associates that he would investigate before things got out of hand. And Jack assured the tall slender spirit youth that he could rest assured that things would be okay, “North never breaks a promise!” he’d said as he lead the three spirits out. “Don’t worry, you won’t vanish,” he tried to assure Jack-o, who looked less than assured but offered a dark lipped smile in gratitude anyway. 

Back in the open room, North was standing near the window looking troubled. Jack entered, stepping up beside the older Guardian.  
“What are you going to do? Were they telling the truth? I mean, will Jack-o-Lantern really vanish?”  
“It is very possible. Samhain was never human, and Lamia… though once human, has long since left behind her humanity. They could survive, but their powers would be greatly diminished. But Jack-o… he’s, much younger, and relies so heavily upon Pitch’s influence.” North sighed heavily. “What can I do? I’ll have to investigate.”  
“You mean, go to Pitch’s lair?” Jack frowned. “But what about the Night Mares? You can’t go alone.”  
“No, so I suppose troubling part will be convincing the others that there is anything to investigate at all.”


	3. Four Days after Easter

April 12th, 2012, Four Days after Easter

After the visit from Jack-O-Lantern and his associates, a tension seemed to linger over the workshop; even the yetis, who were once again preparing for a year’s worth of toy making, seemed to notice. The elves tottered around completely oblivious, but the yetis seemed to be dancing around, none daring to knock on North’s office door. Jack was perhaps the only one brave enough to talk to North, but only when the older man would venture from his office.

It was around noon when North emerged from his office, to refresh his plate of Christmas cookies, and get something stronger to drink, when Jack decided to voice the questions that had been bothering him.

“When are you going to talk to the others?” He inquired, following behind the other man timidly. “You’re… you’re not going to go back on your promise to the Halloween spirit are you?” He asked wearily. North glanced over his shoulder at that, drawing to a stop in the hall and turning on the frost elf.

“Course not!” He said, dark eyes furrowing. “I never break promise; just… do not know where to start.” He ran his thick fingers over his head. “Have never been in this position before.” He admitted, more to himself than to Jack.

“Well, North I mean… it’s been days since—“

“I know, stop worrying like mother hen Jack,” The older man smiled, and Jack couldn’t help but feel a little more at ease. “I will speak with others soon; just have to find right words to say.” 

⁞⁞⁞⁞  
Later that afternoon it seemed that North had either found the right words to say, or he’d given up and decided that the straight forward method would be the best one. The bright and colorful northern lights that summoned the guardians to the pole glowed brightly outside, and Jack was both eager and nervous for the other’s to arrive. What would they say when North revealed that they had to go looking for the seemingly missing Boogeyman? Jack wasn’t even sure where he stood on the matter. He didn’t have as much history with Pitch as the others, and didn’t exactly loath the nightmare maker… he just kind of, bitterly disliked him. Of course, then the question was was Pitch really missing? Or was something else going on? Jack-o-Lantern and his associates hadn’t been exactly clear on the entire situation, and Jack wondered if they’d had a full grasp themselves. 

When the other guardians had arrived, it came as no surprise to anyone that they were all a little ruffled and concerned, if not a little bit grumpy. Bunny’s fur was sticking up atop his head, and he looked as though he’d been woken from a very long nap. His nose twitched irritably and his claws would flex ever so slightly whenever he’d look in North’s direction. 

“North, what’s this all about?” Toothiana inquired her voice shrill with concern. 

“Pitch.” North said simply. Tooth’s feathers ruffled in shock, and Bunny straightened up, looking both confused and very angry.  
“What?” Tooth squeaked.

“It’s only been four days! That bastard can’t be causing trouble already! I thought we’d put him down for at least a century or two!” Bunny raged, his chest rising and falling rapidly. 

“It’s not what you think,” Jack said, quickly putting a hand on the bunnies shoulder, successfully stilling the taller guardian who shot the frost elf a sideways glance. “Just, please, listen to what North has to say and…” Jack swallowed. “And just know I back him up one-hundred-percent!” Bunny seemed to consider Jack’s words before huffing, crossing his arms and turning his attention back to North. 

“Alright, so what’s this all about?”

North quickly went into explaining the visit from the Halloween spirit and his associates, and all of the worries that they’d voiced; he was perhaps smart to leave out some of accusations that Lamia had thrown the guardians’ way. 

By the time he’d finished, there was a heavy silence hanging over the gathered guardians that made Jack feel a bit twitchy and uncomfortable.

“What do they think is going to happen?” Tooth finally asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence. She was looking uncharacteristically serious, her lips drawn into a thin grim line. “To the children if we don’t investigate?” 

“Bad things.” North sighed heavily. “Very bad things.” He shook his head. “They had good point, relevant point, but…” North shrugged his massive shoulders and looked wearily at his companions. “They believe that over time, if things are not corrected, fear will leave the humans completely.”

“Which means that children would start doing reckless things, not even stopping to think about the possible consequences.”

“That’s what parents are for.” Bunny interjected. Jack shook his head.

“Yeah but why would a parent who doesn’t fear their child getting hit by a car warn their child not to walk out into traffic?” He offered, making Bunny’s ears twitched irritably as he mulled the whole thing over in his head. After a few minutes the Pooka whirled around on Sandy, who’d been floating nearby puzzling over the entire thing in his head. “I thought you were keeping tabs on Pitch!” Bunny spat, startling the golden guardian who blinked surprised and shrugged and shook his head. Sand pictographs quickly began appearing and dissolving above his head, only infuriating the Guardian of Hope more. “Well you’re the one who goes all over the world every bleeding night; I would have thought you would have picked up on his dreams or something!” Bunny snapped. Sandy frowned at him, curling his little fists as more pictographs appeared and dissolved over his head. “Well how was I suppose to know the bastard didn’t dream!?” 

“Guys, this isn’t getting us anywhere,” Tooth interjected, swooping between the two, her wings beating furiously behind her. “Now look, we need to figure out what we’re going do. Are we going to investigate? If what Jack-O-Lantern said is true, then not only must we think of our fellow spirits well being, but the well being of the children. They are first and foremost our priority!” 

Bunny’s ears flattened slightly and he looked sheepish as he relaxed a little. Sandy shot the multi-colored fairy an apologetic smile from where he bobbed in the air. Nodding, she turned her bright fuchsia eyes back towards North, everyone else attention turning towards the taller guardian as well. Taking a deep breath Tooth straightened up.

“North, they came to you; this has to be your decision. But no matter what, I’m with you on this.” She said with a stiff nod. Sandy quickly began bobbing his head up and down as well, giving North two thumbs up. Bunny grumbled, crossing his arms again and toeing at the floorboards.

“Count me in.” He mumbled. Jack couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at his lips at Bunny’s behavior. North nodded, his own warm smile spreading his lips; he was honestly touched by their support. 

“We will investigate!” He said firmly. “And if Pitch is not in his hole, we will scour the globe to find him!”

“When?” Jack inquired bouncing up and down on the balls of his feat slightly. 

“Tomorrow morning! Pitch is weakest during the daylight hours, we maybe need the advantage.”

**Author's Note:**

> This story will have two focal points, North/Pitch, and Bunny/Jack, but all of the Guardian's will be present. I'm not sure I'd call this a redemption story, but it is certainly a story of reaching out.


End file.
